by C. R Corbin
I had to.
CHAPTER TWO
Rebecca
The prince was marching in apparently.
The center of town was a large circle with nothing in the middle of it. Around us were these towering black buildings that were the library, school, and town hall. There were also other administrative buildings but those weren't really worth mentioning at all. Scoran did have his barracks somewhere on the outskirts of town but that place had already been bombed and raided, at least I would presume it was. All that was left to do now was to wait.
I looked at Emily to watch her face scrunching up in fear. She grasped her chest and began to sob while her tears drip onto the stones below. I bite my lip and shake my head as I watched the sky split above. The clouds parted and warm sunshine batters the cobblestone beneath my knees, I could already feel the bumps of stone pressing into my skin and causing me discomfort. I moved a bit and instead sat down while everyone beside me knelt, slowly but surely everyone got tired of having to kneel in order to put up a show for a prince that wasn't even here at the moment and simply relaxed on the ground as I did.
Where was he?
I glanced at the towering buildings and the cracks in their stones before I finally heard the troops call out something in Morelen. I would presume that they were welcoming the prince. Through a crowd of grey plated armor, blasters, and swords he steps inside to see us all. His green armor glimmered in the golden sunshine before he slipped his helmet off and revealed that handsome face of his.
Handsome?
His chiseled jawline looked as if it had been carved out of stone and his golden eyes glimmered as they gazed at all of the humans gathered in the center of town. His blue skin reminded me of the oceans of Durol, a deep blue that could be seen as a shade of black if the surroundings were dark enough.
His short black hair was cropped into a neat pile atop his head and I saw those two ebony horns peek out from his forehead. It looked as if he was wearing a crown of black metal rings and spines from this distance but it was simply his hair. He was about 200 meters away from us when the troops all called out and stood up in place, they looked as rigid as the stone buildings surrounding them.
"Welcome prince Kreux!" called out a single voice, the accent was a bit strange but it was finally a phrase that I could understand. It was likely due to the fact that we were all expected to bow to the prince and did as he approached. It was drilled into our heads since Scoran, when royalty arrives it would be announced and you would show your respect.
The man that had been presiding over us, who I presumed was the captain, Harknak, he steps away from his post at the back of the crowd of people and walked up to the center to greet the prince. The prince gazes at him and grips his hand in a firm grasp before pulling the man towards him and hugging him, they pulled back and the prince looks amongst the gathered humans, I gave him a mean look to simply spite him.
The captain says something to the prince and the prince nodded without any visible reaction on his part. I wondered what they could be speaking of.
The prince had to be a busy man right? There was no way that he just took his time to visit every settlement to survey it for any potential traitors right?...Or was that something that he wasn't even doing here.
Was he here to choose a mate?
He gazes out amongst the crowd and his eyes locked with mine as I watched him. My hands shake as I stared at him and he stared back at me, I felt like I was going to collapse under the weight of his gaze. Something about him was so overpowering and yet so...mesmerizing. I felt an incredible warmth when I stared at him, it was as if he was enveloping me without even touching me, taking me into his aura of warmth.
What was happening? Why were my cheeks flushed?
His eyes soften for a bit as he stared at me. I could see affection, sorrow, even a bit of lust in those eyes of his as he gazes at me. I was in front of the crowd so he had a clear view of me, it felt as if he was looking at every inch of flesh on my body.
His gaze travels from my thighs up to my breasts to my eyes. I blushed as I realized that he was inspecting if I was a suitable mate or not. His spines tighten behind his back and he nodded while looking me over.
He says something in that language of his and points at me. The captain shoots him a shocked look before nodding quickly and directing some of the troops to approach me. They grab my arms and I tried to tug away but they kept their iron vice-like grip around my arms as I am dragged forward. I watched as the prince approached me with a tiny microchip in his hands, he gazed at me and gave me a gentle smile as he caressed my cheek with the freehand I tried to swing my head away from him, but he grasps my chin and shook his head. I decided that it was useless to struggle and simply gave in after my many attempts
And finally, I heard his voice. It was as clear and filtered as ever.
"Can you understand me? Hello?" the prince calls out and I nodded while my arms were still trapped by the troops on either side of me. I looked into those golden eyes and shivered as I continued to look upon every inch of that handsome face of his. He was in severely close proximity with me now that I thought about it.
This was the first time that I have ever received a translator so it was somewhat of a shock. During Scoran's rule translators aren't handed out while the patrolling soldiers that were around here were granted that luxury. That way we couldn't understand them but they could understand us and understand every word of dissent that was being shared. Just giving me this was already a sign that puts me a bit more at ease with him than I had been under Scoran.
"Yes, I can ...What do you want?" I asked while shaking off my shocked state. The prince gives me a smile of relief and sighed before he began to speak once again.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"...Rebecca Palibol...What's going on? Why did you give me that translator? What is happening?" I asked him.
"You're my mate. I've finally found you." he whispered breathlessly.
His what?
"I'm sorry?" I asked.
"My mate. You will be coming with me after this. You are destined to be with me girl, to form a family, to be my life partner...My only life partner." he explained.
This was...this wasn't possible!
"You must have got something wrong." I murmured.
"I didn't. You're the one, i'm sure of that."
"Scoran never did anything like-"
"Scoran is an outlier, a disgrace to our people. You are the only woman for me, it is told that since birth a Morelen male will only mate with a single woman and well...here you are."
"What? What about my life here? What about my family? What is going to ha-"
"They're going to be safe. My troops will be here to protect them. You can rest easy knowing that my rule will be much more tolerable than Scoran's."
"I don't want to take your word."
"...Will you come with me? I will offer you a life that is much better than this. A life that has so much more to offer."
"I don't have much of a choice do I?"
"No, you don't."
I grimace while glancing at the dirt floor. His eyes fell as he seemed to grow a bit despondent at my sudden morose attitude. He reaches out and tells the soldiers to release me while i stood there, too shocked to stay anything to my neighbors and fellow townsfolk.
So this was why the prince was going around to every conquered town. He was searching for a woman.
I fall to my knees and quiver from the sheer gravity of the situation. This entire time I've been pondering what would be occurring should this territory be finally taken over by Kreux and not once did I actually think that he was looking for a mate or would ever choose me. I was under the impression that he had already chosen his mate and was simply conquering territories and going from colony to colony to see who he could conscript or take as a prisoner...I never...
"What is your response?" he asked and I shook as I looked up at him, my
bottom lip was shaking and I could feel his gaze on me. The weight of those red eyes bore into me while I looked upon those shining green plates and his sheer stature.
"I...I don't want to." I responded.
I was having a hard time getting over my hatred of Morelens to be quite frank. I didn't want to accompany him because I was under the impression that he was another thug, another cruel ruler ...Perhaps there could be something I could do, something that I could use him for. I wanted revenge on Scoran and he seems to know what he was doing...Yes, that might work. No matter how much I detested the idea of being the mate of a prince and living under him there was still one burning desire that stood out amongst the rest.
The desire to see Scoran pay.
"You don't have a choice. You're coming with me." he said as his eyes suddenly turned cold and commanding. I growled and bared my teeth but I knew that the only way out of this was to go with him.
There was a much better fate waiting for me if I went with him more so than if I stayed here.
But on principle, I didn't want to depart. On principle, I hated the idea of having to kowtow to this man. The more practical part of my brain was telling me to simply give in and suck it up and I attempted to listen to that part more than anything else. I knew that it was right but I wasn't too sure how to reconcile it all.
So i went with my gut.
"Fine...fine." I muttered while gazing up at him and he gave me a self-satisfied smirk.
"You will not regret this. I will give you whatever you want and you shall, in turn, grant me what I want." he said before kneeling beside me and lifting my chin up with his fingers. I nodded as I gazed back at my family who were all staring at me in shock.
"Can I have a few moments?" I asked him and he nodded.
"Of course." he stated and lifted his hand to motion the soldiers away while I spoke with my sister, aunt, and uncle.
"I can scarcely believe it." my sister said as I turned to her and enveloped her in a hug.
It was already an unspoken understanding between the two of us that the fate of women mated to a Morelen prince could either be very good or very bad depending on who you are. I wanted to err on the side of caution and let my cynical side tell me that it was going to be horrid but I understood that even a bad mating bond was more desirable than a life under Scoran. I pulled her in and sighed as I rest my head on her shoulder while she stroked my back and sighed, her body was quivering, likely in fear since I was her rock for the last couple of years but she had to be strong.
"You have to be strong alright? You have to be." I reassured her and she nodded while grasping my shoulders. I can feel her fingers tightening around my collarbone as she pulls me in for one last tiny hug before separating.
I step towards my aunt and uncle and simply stood there, speechless. Perhaps they were getting flashbacks to their own daughter and how it felt when she departed. I didn't want to think about it, they had already suffered so much. Almost mechanically they gave me hugs and sent me on my way. I told them to watch over Emily but I had faith that my younger sister would be watching over herself just fine.
The rest of the people in town were ones that I barely knew so I didn't say much to them. I didn't have any friends that needed any parting gifts or words, all there was, was my family. Everyone else that I might have been friends with had been killed or taken away. Some of my acquaintances shared knowing glances with me and waves but that was the full extent of it
From now on I was supposed to be with him. I was at a complete loss as to what I was supposed to do.
"Are you ready to depart? Is there anything that you would wish to collect? I assure you that I have everything that we need." said the prince while I turned around and glanced at him. I shook my head and merely began to follow him as he made his way through the streets towards his hovercraft.
As we were walking away I could see the soldiers begin to set up tables to hand out translators and take a census. I wondered why the prince had to give me a translator specifically but perhaps it was a matter of quality more than anything else. Perhaps since I was his mate I would receive one that was of a much higher value than the ones being handed out at the moment. The soldiers were gentle in their commands and the townsfolk didn't bother to put up a fight...something told me that the prince and his men were different from the things that we had already become acquainted with.
It was as if every movement of his oozed majesty and power. It wasn't the detestable kind that I had sensed from Scoran either, it was more concentrated, more regal in a way. He simply walks on by and glances out amongst the black stone building with sorrow and rage. I was almost tempted to ask him about the nature of the war since I hadn't heard anything while under the rule of Scoran.
When he asked me if there was anything I would like to have collected such as a personal memento I inwardly scoffed. I knew that there was nothing there except for clothes, there were some photos but I didn't want to look at them anymore. Pictures of old friends and my parents, I couldn't stare at them without breaking into tears. The war and Scoran's rule had taught me that all that mattered was the fact that I was alive, no material attachment would make me feel better.
But perhaps now I had a bit of hope in Kreux. I had no idea about what kind of man he was but he had to be better than Scoran. I could feel it in his gaze, in his presence, there wasn't that crippling aura of hatred and contempt that radiated off of Scoran, all there was, was a regal aura, an aura filled with majesty and grace. It sounded a bit silly but my instincts told me that he was to be trusted despite my heart yearning to hate him.
After all, this was just a silly prince. He wasn't to blame for my suffering, it was mostly Scoran's fault, and yet I couldn't reconcile the fact that the two were different since the only Morelen prince that I have ever met has turned out to be a tyrannical monster.
"You're afraid." he observed while I walked a step behind him. We were almost at the hovercraft and I could only dumbly look at him in response.
"Well...Of course."
"Why?"
"Because you're a Morelen prince and you don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to serving the people of this town. I know that it could be a boon or a curse to have been paired with you. I just don't understand ...I don't understand how you men are." I replied with tears in my eyes and he stumbled for a bit before stopping near the craft. I wanted to keep on walking but I knew that he needed to hear this so I looked at him directly if the eye and growled.
"What is wrong with how I conduct myself? Tell me." he said and I shivered with rage coursing through my veins as I looked up at him and bit my lip.
"You just...We're just pawns in your game of power. You take me from my home like i'm property and don't even care what I tell you in response. All that matters to you men are the numbers, a single life or a settlement will mean nothing to you in the grand scheme of things."
"So you think that i'm heartless?"
"I don't know...I don't know what to do anymore..." I broke down and quivered with my head in my hands while he gazed at me with those sorrowful golden eyes of his.
"Come with me. I will show you a better life than this. A way out of this." he states while gazing at me and I quaked while he rests his golden eyes on me.
Was he promising this? Really? After all that i've been through it was hard to take his claims at face value. I don't even know how I ended up there.
I thought that my appearance would have deterred any action on any princes part when it came time to choose a mate. I thought that I was safe from all of that and then this man appears and he just chooses me out of the blue. I didn't know what to say to him, I didn't know how to respond to him at all. His claims of luxury and a better life were almost otherworldly.
"Will you kill him?" I asked.
"Who?"
"Scoran. He's done unspeakable things to this town and to me. He's butchered anyone that has ever opposed him so now i'm ask
ing you...will you kill him?"
"That's certainly a tough question to answer."
"Please just tell me."
"....I will get you your revenge. For now, it looks like you simply need to get away from this place so...come." he said and held out his hand while I took it and nodded, slowly following him around.
As strange as it sounded it felt like for the first time in years I was actually going somewhere, actually hoping, as minute as that was.
And I hoped that what he was saying was true.
CHAPTER THREE
Kreux
After a round of vaccines and treatments, she would be here with me. For now, I have other matters to attend to, I had to discuss war plans with my advisors, we would have to set our sights on Dephai.
I knew that she was the one when I first set my eyes on her.
The sun seemed to make her skin glow as it struck her lovely skin. All of those curves of her's were emphasized in the light and I could see her eyes shining brightly as she rested her gaze on me. Those eyes were filled with such longing, a sense of the damage that I wanted to repair more than anything.
I appraised every inch of flesh on her from those curvaceous thighs to those ample breasts. From her firm backside to her lovely face, her pale skin seemed to glimmer under the curtain of brown hair and i watched as those blue eyes shone like the ocean waters of Monowa.
As lovely as anything that I have ever seen.
"Sir. We have those reports that you wanted? On the frontier?" My general, Harknak, asked me while on the communicator. I was sitting at my desk at the top of our cruiser and overlooking the reports at the moment. They all popped up on the holographic screen in front of me and displayed every bit of information that I needed to see. I needed to send the message in an attempt to get word from the frontline of attack. We were pushing back his defenses and we were doing well. Our campaigns that attempted to sow the seeds of insurrection amongst the people of Durol were working and various rebellions were occurring that would work to undermine his rule.